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Easier said than done.
Kerri rang the doorbell and waited. This was the first time she’d left messages for Renae and failed to receive a response. But then this was the first time the stakes had been so inordinately high. With them seemingly on opposite sides of the challenge.
The door opened, and Renae stood face-to-face with her. She didn’t smile as she typically did. Her hair and makeup and the casually sophisticated attire were the usual fare. Her long elegant neck and squared shoulders spoke of her confidence and years of ballet. She and Diana had attended the same dance school back in the day. Renae was older than Kerri and Diana. She’d been married many years before her first and only child had come along. Unlike Kerri, who’d married right out of the police academy and gotten pregnant soon after.
“Kerri.” The one glaring absence in Renae’s manner was that usual spark of happiness to see the mother of her daughter’s closest friend.
No smile. Not even a hint that she was glad Kerri had stopped by.
Kerri’s heart sank. “Renae.” She drew in a breath and reminded herself of Falco’s words.Make her talk to you.“I’ve been trying to reach you. How is Sarah doing?”
“She’s as well as can be expected.”
If anything, Renae’s posture had grown even stiffer. Her lips thinner and tighter.
“I wanted to speak with you about what happened at school. We’ve always discussed whatever was going on in our daughters’ lives.” Kerri hated that her tone sounded a little hopeless and a lot uncertain.
Renae seemed to realize how visibly out of character her reaction to Kerri’s visit was. “Of course.” She stepped back, opened the door wider. “Come in.”
As soon as she’d closed the door behind Kerri, she added, “Sarah is lying down. She came home very tired. I’m certain it’s depression.” She exhaled a weary breath. “Who wouldn’t be depressed.”
“It’s a terrible situation,” Kerri agreed.
“Would you like tea?”
That was another thing. Renae was a tea person. Kerri couldn’t recall ever seeing her with a mug of coffee. Hot tea was one thing Kerri had never learned to enjoy. It was like wine; it gave the appearance of a bit more sophistication. Coffee and beer drinkers were a little less classy.
“No thank you.”
“Join me in the kitchen,” Renae suggested. “I really need tea.”
Kerri followed her through the family room into a kitchen that would make any chef jealous. Lucky for Kerri, she wasn’t a chef.
While Renae lit the flame under the kettle, Kerri slid onto a stool at the island. “I’m sure Sarah is as devastated by what happened as Tori.”
Renae leaned against the counter next to the stove. “Unquestionably. Do you have any news on Brendal’s condition?”
“Unchanged. I’m hoping for better news soon.”
Renae gathered a cup and tea bag. Her hand slowed as she reached for a spoon. She lowered it to the counter and turned back to Kerri. “Sarah is frightened. Terribly, terribly frightened.”
“Tori too,” Kerri commented. “We’ve all just started to heal after Amelia’s death and now this.”
“Sarah said Brendal had given Tori a hard time about what happened to Amelia. Did you know that?”
Kerri schooled the surprise that streamed through her. “Tori didn’t mention it.”
Renae poured the hot water into her cup before turning back to Kerri. “Brendal is a bit of a bully. Even when she was just a toddler, she pushed the other kids around. You know we attend church with Brendal and her family.”
Kerri had forgotten. “I see.”
The other woman seemed to catch herself. “I didn’t mean to speak ill of the poor girl. But everyone knows how Brendal is.”
Kerri held up her hands. “No, I get it. I’ve heard the same thing from others.”
A frown marred the older woman’s perfectly smooth forehead. “Really. Have you been talking to the other parents?”
“No, no.” Kerri shook her head in emphasis. “I meant I’ve heard people make those sorts of statements before. Before what happened.”She shrugged. “You know, like on the soccer field. At the Christmas program rehearsals.”
